June 2012

Examiners’ Report
NEBOSH International
General Certificate in
Occupational Health
and Safety - IGC1
Examiners’ Report

NEBOSH INTERNATIONAL GENERAL

CERTIFICATE IN OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH AND SAFETY

UNIT IGC1:
MANAGEMENT OF INTERNATIONAL
HEALTH AND SAFETY

JUNE 2012

For: NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety

NEBOSH International Certificate in Construction Health and Safety
NEBOSH International Certificate in Fire Safety and Risk Management

CONTENTS

Introduction 2

General comments 3

Comments on individual questions 4

 2012 NEBOSH, Dominus Way, Meridian Business Park, Leicester LE19 1QW
tel: 0116 263 4700 fax: 0116 282 4000 email: info@nebosh.org.uk website: www.nebosh.org.uk

The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health is a registered charity, number 1010444

T(s):exrpts/I/IGC11206 EXTERNAL DW/DA/REW

 Introduction

NEBOSH (The National Examination Board in Occupational Safety and Health) was formed in 1979 as
an independent examining board and awarding body with charitable status. We offer a comprehensive
range of globally-recognised, vocationally-related qualifications designed to meet the health, safety,
environmental and risk management needs of all places of work in both the private and public sectors.
Courses leading to NEBOSH qualifications attract around 35,000 candidates annually and are offered
by over 500 course providers, with exams taken in over 100 countries around the world. Our
qualifications are recognised by the relevant professional membership bodies including the Institution
of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the International Institute of Risk and Safety
Management (IIRSM).

NEBOSH is an awarding body to be recognised and regulated by the Scottish Qualifications Authority
(SQA).

Where appropriate, NEBOSH follows the latest version of the “GCSE, GCE, Principal Learning and
Project Code of Practice” published by the regulatory authorities in relation to examination setting and
marking. While not obliged to adhere to this code, NEBOSH regards it as best practice to do so.

Candidates’ scripts are marked by a team of Examiners appointed by NEBOSH on the basis of their
qualifications and experience. The standard of the qualification is determined by NEBOSH, which is
overseen by the NEBOSH Council comprising nominees from, amongst others, the Health and Safety
Executive (HSE), the Confederation of British Industry (CBI), the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and
the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH). Representatives of course providers, from
both the public and private sectors, are elected to the NEBOSH Council.

This report on the examination provides information on the performance of candidates which it is
hoped will be useful to candidates and tutors in preparation for future examinations. It is intended to be
constructive and informative and to promote better understanding of the syllabus content and the
application of assessment criteria.

© NEBOSH 2012

Any enquiries about this report publication should be addressed to:

NEBOSH
Dominus Way
Meridian Business Park
Leicester
LE19 1QW

tel: 0116 263 4700

fax: 0116 282 4000
email: info@nebosh.org.uk

2 EXTERNAL
 General comments

Many candidates are well prepared for this unit assessment and provide comprehensive and relevant
answers in response to the demands of the question paper. This includes the ability to demonstrate
understanding of knowledge by applying it to workplace situations.
There are always some candidates, however, who appear to be unprepared for the unit assessment
and who show both a lack of knowledge of the syllabus content and a lack of understanding of how key
concepts should be applied to workplace situations.
In order to meet the pass standard for this assessment, acquisition of knowledge and understanding
across the syllabus are prerequisites. However, candidates need to demonstrate their knowledge and
understanding in answering the questions set. Referral of candidates in this unit is invariably because
they are unable to write a full, well-informed answer to one or more of the questions asked.
Some candidates find it difficult to relate their learning to the questions and as a result offer responses
reliant on recalled knowledge and conjecture and fail to demonstrate a sufficient degree of
understanding. Candidates should prepare themselves for this vocational examination by ensuring
their understanding, not rote-learning pre-prepared answers.
Candidates should therefore note that Examiners’ Reports are not written to provide ‘sample answers’
but to give examples of what Examiners were expecting and more specifically to highlight areas of
under performance.
Common pitfalls
It is recognised that many candidates are well prepared for their assessments. However, recurrent
issues, as outlined below, continue to prevent some candidates reaching their full potential in the
assessment.
 Many candidates fail to apply the basic principles of examination technique and for some
candidates this means the difference between a pass and a referral.
 In some instances, candidates do not attempt all the required questions or are failing to
provide complete answers. Candidates are advised to always attempt an answer to a
compulsory question, even when the mind goes blank. Applying basic health and safety
management principles can generate credit worthy points.
 Some candidates fail to answer the question set and instead provide information that may be
relevant to the topic but is irrelevant to the question and cannot therefore be awarded marks.
 Many candidates fail to apply the command words (also known as action verbs, eg describe,
outline, etc). Command words are the instructions that guide the candidate on the depth of
answer required. If, for instance, a question asks the candidate to ‘describe’ something, then
few marks will be awarded to an answer that is an outline. Similarly the command word
‘identify’ requires more information than a ‘list’.
 Some candidates fail to separate their answers into the different sub-sections of the questions.
These candidates could gain marks for the different sections if they clearly indicated which part
of the question they were answering (by using the numbering from the question in their
answer, for example). Structuring their answers to address the different parts of the question
can also help in logically drawing out the points to be made in response.
 Candidates need to plan their time effectively. Some candidates fail to make good use of their
time and give excessive detail in some answers leaving insufficient time to address all of the
questions.
 Candidates should also be aware that Examiners cannot award marks if handwriting is
illegible.
 Candidates should note that it is not necessary to start a new page in their answer booklet for
each section of a question.

3 EXTERNAL
 Unit IGC1
Management of international safety and health

Question 1 (a) Give the meaning of the term „permit-to-work‟. (2)

(b) Outline the contents that should be included on a permit-to-work

form. (10)

(c) Identify FOUR types of activity that typically require a permit-to-

work, AND outline the reasons why in EACH case. (8)

For part (a), an acceptable meaning would have been a formal documented planned
procedure designed to control high risk activities and to protect personnel engaged in
carrying them out. Some candidates were unable to differentiate between a normal
situation and one where a permit-to-work would be required while others merely
described it as a safe system of work. Quite often there was a failure to refer either to
the fact that a permit was used in high risk activities or that it was a formal
documented procedure.

Elements which should be included in the permit include firstly a description and
assessment of the task to be performed including the plant involved, its location and
the foreseeable hazards associated with the task. Details of the precautions to be
taken should follow such as, for example, the need for isolation, lock off, atmospheric
testing, the use of personal protective equipment and the arrangements for the action
to be taken in the event of an emergency. Again good outlines of the contents of a
permit-to-work were rare and often candidates produced merely a muddled list.

An essential element of a permit-to-work system is the operation of the permit itself.

By means of signatures, the permit should be issued by an authorised person, stating
the duration of the permit and accepted by the competent person responsible for the
work. On completion of the work, the competent person would need to indicate on the
permit that the area had been made safe in order for the permit to be cancelled by the
authorised person.

For part (c), most candidates were able to identify the required types of activity
choosing from work such as entry into confined spaces, hot work, working at height,
and work on live electrical equipment. Candidates, however, found it more difficult to
give reasons why a permit should be used for such activities.

Question 2 Outline factors that should be considered to determine the frequency of

health and safety inspections in a workplace. (8)

In answering this question, candidates were expected to outline factors such as, for
example, compliance with statutory requirements and ILO guidelines; the activities
undertaken at the workplace and their associated level of risk; and the makeup of the
workforce which could include vulnerable members such as the young and/or disabled
where high standards of health and safety would have to be maintained. Additional
factors which could be influential include accident history, past performance and levels
of compliance and advice or action by the enforcing authorities.

Many candidates failed to understand the purpose of this question. Many described
what should be done during inspections and who should carry them out but made no
reference to the factors that would determine their frequency.

4 EXTERNAL
Question 3 Outline why it is important that all persons in an organisation are aware
of their roles and responsibilities for health and safety. (8)

Candidates who were familiar with the ‘organisation’ section of HSG 65 ‘Successful
Health and Safety Management’ should have had little difficulty in answering this
question outlining the importance of defining individual roles and responsibilities for
health and safety so that all persons in the organisation will be aware of the
contribution they have to make. It will also be seen as an indication of the commitment
and leadership of senior management in recognising that health and safety is a core
function of every job and must be given some priority. There will be added benefits in
setting clear communication and reporting lines, in defining individual competencies
and training needs particularly for specific roles such as first aid and fire and in
securing improvements in the safety culture of the organisation.

This question was poorly answered possibly because candidates did not pay sufficient
attention to the word ‘why’. There was some reference made to leadership and
management commitment but little more was added while a few concentrated only on
the responsibilities in the organisation for emergency evacuation.

Question 4 There has been a significant increase in manual handling accidents to

nursing staff working in a busy hospital.

(a) Identify:

(i) organisational factors; (2)

(ii) job factors (2)

that may have caused this increase.

(b) Identify sources of information that may be consulted in order to

help reduce the risk to the workers. (4)

For part (a)(i), candidates could have identified organisational factors such as, for
example, the culture of the organisation with more emphasis being given to the care of
patients rather than to the staff with a lack of management commitment to achieving
good standards of health and safety for their workers; insufficient staffing levels; and a
failure both to provide appropriate equipment for handling patients and to carry out risk
assessments and introduce safe systems of work.

As for job factors, reference could have been made to excessive workload, with
conflicting demands and little opportunity for rest periods and with no procedures in
place for handling patients often in restricted spaces with inadequate standards of
lighting.

Candidates struggled to come to terms with a hospital environment and many showed
little understanding of organisational and job factors often confusing the one with the
other.

Answers to part (b) were to a better standard with candidates referring to a number of
information sources such as those provided by national agencies, for example, the
ILO; by trade unions and employers organisations and that contained in international
standards. Information might also have been obtained through consultation with the
workers themselves or with other organisations doing similar work while a study of in
house accident, ill-health and complaint statistics can also often prove productive.

5 EXTERNAL
Question 5 Identify why it is important to use a variety of methods to communicate
health and safety information in the workplace. (8)

The objective in communicating health and safety information is to obtain involvement

and stimulate interest and consequently a wide variety of methods needs to be used if
only because individuals respond differently to different stimuli for example, there may
be language barriers and there are some individuals who find difficulty in
understanding a written message since they are unable to read or write. Additionally
candidates could have identified other reasons such as that different types of
information, for example, emergency signs, require different methods of presentation
while for some messages a pictorial method is often more successful than a written
one. It was also useful to point out that over reliance on one method of communication
such as posters may well lead to over-familiarisation and a decrease in impact.

Some candidates wrote of the different methods of communication rather than the
need to use a variety of methods while others wrote of the advantages and
disadvantages of various methods. In both cases, candidates appeared to have
disregarded the important word ‘why’ in the question.

Question 6 (a) Outline the key stages of a workplace risk assessment. (5)

(b) Outline THREE reasons for reviewing a risk assessment. (3)

In answering part (a) of the question, candidates should have followed the well-
publicised route of identification, evaluation, control, recording and review detailing the
action that should be taken at each stage. Answers were generally to a reasonable
standard although it was disappointing to note that some candidates were unable to
identify the five steps.

For part (b), reasons that might have been outlined include amongst many others:
changes in the processes, work methods or materials used; the introduction of new or
modification of existing plant; the availability of new information on hazards and risks;
as a result of investigation reports on accidents or monitoring exercises; and ultimately
after the passage of time. Some candidates provided a list rather than the outline
required.

Question 7 A worker in a busy kitchen has notified her employer that she is pregnant.

Outline factors that the employer should consider when undertaking a

specific risk assessment for this worker. (8)

Factors that an employer should consider include the nature of the task to be
performed such as the duration and variety of the work including any shift patterns and
the provision of adequate rest breaks; the involvement of manual handling such as in
lifting heavy cooking utensils and ergonomic issues related to prolonged standing or
the involvement of awkward body movements. Consideration would also have to be
given to the worker’s possible exposure to chemicals such as those used for cleaning
utensils and additionally the possible effects of the environment in the kitchen where
there would inevitably be exposure to heat and noise and where there would always be
the possibility of slipping on wet floors.

6 EXTERNAL
 Very few candidates were able to outline the factors to be considered in undertaking a
risk assessment for a pregnant woman and even fewer when she was to be employed
in a kitchen where there was no clear understanding of the hazards and risks involved.
Answers were generally limited to factors such as manual handling but it was
surprising to find the weather and workplace transport identified as relevant factors.

Question 8 (a) Outline the purpose of a „health and safety audit‟. (2)

(b) Outline the advantages of using:

(i) an internal auditor; (3)
(ii) an external auditor (3)

to carry out a health and safety audit.

Most candidates were able to provide an acceptable outline of the purposes of an

audit referring to the undertaking of a systematic critical examination of a health and
safety management system, involving a structured process for the collection of
objective information, with the aim of assessing the effectiveness and reliability of the
total system and identifying its strengths and weaknesses.

The possible advantages of using an internal auditor for a safety audit would include
their familiarity with the workplace, its tasks and processes and their awareness of
what might be practicable for the industry. They would also be able to identify
improvements or conversely deterioration from the last audit and the workforce might
be more at ease with someone who was part of the organisation.

An external auditor on the other hand is more likely to possess the necessary auditing
skills and credibility and will view the organisation’s performance through a fresh pair
of eyes. He will not be inhibited from criticising members of management or the
workforce and is more likely to be up to date with best practice as seen in other
organisations.

This part of the question required an outline but this requirement was not met by a
number of candidates whose answers were short on detail. For some reason some
candidates dealt with the disadvantages of using the different auditors rather than the
advantages.

Question 9 Outline the key elements of a health and safety management system. (8)

Candidates who chose the ‘Successful Health and Safety Management Model’ (HSG
65) were expected to outline the six key elements of the system and to give brief
details of the content and purpose of each. These are well documented in the
publication and do not need to be repeated here.

Those who chose the OHSAS model were expected to carry out a similar exercise and
identify not only the five key elements of that system but again, to satisfy the ‘outline’
command, to provide a brief description of their particular content and purpose.

Answers to this question were generally to a good standard.

7 EXTERNAL
Question 10 Identify content that could be included in an accident reporting training
course for all workers within an organisation. (8)

In the training course described, workers would firstly have to be given a definition of
an accident and the requirements for reporting it whether to meet legal requirements
or national standards. It would then be important for them to be advised of the reasons
and benefits for reporting the incident such as to begin an investigation as soon as
possible with the aim of preventing a recurrence. Information would then have to be
provided on the procedures for reporting such as on a form or on line; the information
which should be provided; and the person to whom the incident should be reported.
The consequences of failing to report an accident should be explained although
emphasis would have to be given to the fact that a ‘no blame’ culture would be
adopted.

Very few candidates understood the concept of an accident reporting training course
with the popular belief being that it should be concerned with the steps to be taken in
investigating an accident.

Question 11 Outline factors that should be considered when assessing the health and
safety competence of a contractor. (8)

Most candidates successfully outlined factors including, for example, the contractor’s
previous experience with the type of work to be carried out and his reputation amongst
previous or current clients; the quality and content of their health and safety policy and
the systems in place for its implementation; the level of training and qualifications of
the staff including those with health and safety responsibilities and the arrangements
for the management of sub-contractors; and their accident and enforcement history.

8 EXTERNAL
The National Examination
Board in Occupational
Safety and Health

Dominus Way
Meridian Business Park
Leicester LE19 1QW

telephone +44 (0)116 2634700

fax +44 (0)116 2824000
email info@nebosh.org.uk
www.nebosh.org.uk